Deadly Vipers
by Midna Azusa
Summary: After saving Judai from the admiral, O'Brien has to deal with another job: Haruko Ishiyama, a former classmate who has gotten herself mixed up with a dangerous gang. With Jim and his girlfriend along for the ride, they set out to deal with this gang so Haruko can get on with her life. Spin-off of Sea Sick. OCs and OC pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: For those of you who read Sea Sick, this story takes place right after that one. O'Brien mentioned that Haruko had a job for him, and this is that job (in case you were wondering what she wanted from him). Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX and the idea was Shadgirl2's.**

* * *

Normally the people you'd see at Duel Academy Island would be students or staff members. Well, this woman was neither. She had come with a man for her class reunion, a man who had promised to help her. Though he had gotten sidetracked, he had promised that he would come back for her as soon as his little side adventure was over with. As she waited for him out by the forest, she couldn't help but be nervous.

_Oh, where is that guy?_

She glanced nervously to the left and right. Her long purple hair was tucked away under a black baseball cap, her orange eyes hidden behind shades. Dressed in a gray sweatshirt and faded blue jeans, she hardly felt like herself. But you couldn't be too careful when you were trying to hide from someone, could you?

"Haruko!? Oh my—Is that really you!?"

She jumped at the sound of the voice. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with a blond woman in cargo pants and camouflage. Her blue eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Akiko!?" the woman said. "Oh, boy, it's been so long!" She pounced her friend in a hug.

"Haruko, what the hell are you wearing?" Akiko asked, pushing her friend away slightly.

Haruko looked down at her clothing, then back to her friend. "It's a long story. Have you seen Austin? He said he'd help me."

"I'm right here, Haruko," a muscular man said, walking over.

"Ah, Austin! There you are!" Haruko glanced behind him at the tall man with the cowboy hat and a live crocodile on his back. "Oh, Jim's here? Why is Jim here?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"He's with me, stupid," Akiko answered. "Now tell us what's going on here!"

Haruko took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. "So, you know that I meet a lot of guys, right?"

"How could I forget?" Akiko asked, rolling her eyes. "You've had, like, a bazillion pregnancy scares."

"Yeah, well, I met this guy recently. Taigo. Taigo Maruyama. He wanted me to go out with him, and he seemed nice, so I said yes. Well, it turns out, he's a gang leader?" She laughed nervously.

Akiko smacked herself in the face. "How did I know something like that was gonna come out of your mouth? I mean, last time, it was a drug dealer. 'But he seemed nice enough.' You don't ever think these things through, do you?"

"Hey, it's not my fault if I'm the girl all the bad guys want!" she protested, earning a groan from her friend. "Anyway, after that first date, he decided he wanted me as his wife. I said it was way too soon, that we should get to know each other better first, but he wouldn't take that for an answer. Instead he kidnapped me and said he wasn't going to let me go until I married him. I told him that was never going to happen, so he got mad. He...well..."

"Well, what? What did he do, Haruko?" Akiko asked.

She hesitated, staring at the ground. Finally she said, "He...he started beating on me. Any time he was mad, no matter what it was about, he hit me. And he also... He..."

Akiko's eyes narrowed. "Do _not_ tell me he did _that._"

Haruko's eyes teared up. "He... Every night, he...forced me into his bed, and..."

"Oh, that's IT!" Akiko exclaimed, punching a tree. "NOBODY gets away with doing something so _foul_ to _my_ best friend! Where is this guy!? I'll tear him to shreds!"

"Calm down, Akiko," O'Brien said.

"Calm down!? _Calm down!?_ You—"

"Well, anyway, I escaped one night by getting him and his gang drunk," Haruko interrupted before Akiko could hit O'Brien, which she was sure her friend was about to do. "Like, really drunk. So drunk they all passed out on the floor. I'm sure he's looking for me, though, and I don't want him to find me! I need some help here! So Austin agreed to protect me."

O'Brien nodded.

"That's not good enough," Akiko said. "What are you gonna do, O'Brien, drag her along with you everywhere? I know you and I do pretty much the same stuff, and I know that's why I didn't want to drag Haruko along with me. She'd be dead in a week. We need to do something to stop this guy, or she's gonna be running scared for the rest of her life."

"I was planning on it," O'Brien said. "We just need to figure out what to do."

Jim tipped his hat back slightly and said, "Well, first off, Haruko, what gang is this?"

"They call themselves the Vipers. Their hideout is in Nagoya back in Japan."

"The Vipers? And you're mixed up with them now, Haru!?" Akiko exclaimed. "Seriously, how do you get yourself into these messes!? You and I grew _up_ in Nagoya! You'd think you'd know about that gang! They were in the news, like, every day!"

Haruko cringed. "I wasn't paying attention?"

Akiko smacked herself in the face. "That's my idiot..."

"So I take it you know this gang, Akiko?" Jim asked.

"Oh, not only do I know them, I know you don't want to get mixed up with them. They're the baddest guys in town, and they sure as hell won't let Haru get away from them without a fight!"

"And that's my problem!" she wailed. "I don't know what to do! Help me, Austin! Aki!"

Akiko looked at her, her expression murderous. "There's no way I'm letting anyone get away with treating my best friend like a piece of furniture. I'm definitely going to help you, Haruko."

"I already said I would protect you, didn't I?" O'Brien pointed out.

Haruko smiled. "Thank you! You're the best, Austin!"

"Mind if I tag along?" Jim asked.

Haruko started. "Uh, why?"

"Didn't I say he's with me?" Akiko said lamely, waiting for her hopeless romantic of a friend to get the point.

It took another five minutes for Haruko to realize what Akiko meant. When she did, her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh. You have a boyfriend!?" she squealed.

"And there we go! The eagle has landed," Akiko remarked sarcastically.

"EEEK! AKI HAS A BOYFRIEND!"

"Alright, alright, no need to tell the whole world!"

"But, Aki, you have a—"

"Yeah, let's keep this on the down-low for now, okay, Gangta-Girl?"

Haruko sweat. "Uh, right. Can do."

"Good. Now, what are we gonna do about this whole business?"

"Well, first, we go to Nagoya and find out as much as we can about this gang," O'Brien said. "Haruko, you might want to stay here for the time being."

"No way is she staying here alone," Akiko insisted. "If it's Nagoya we're heading for, I know some people who can help us out. Trust me, she'd be safer staying with us than waiting here for the guy to track her down."

"Are you sure about that, sheila?" Jim asked.

"Positive. Besides, I've got...connections in Nagoya."

"Are you talking about that Ice Lord guy you're always talking to?" Haruko asked.

"Ice Lord?" O'Brien raised an eyebrow.

"Code name. And, yes, among others, Haru."

Haruko's eyes widened. "Oh. _Him_."

Jim and O'Brien exchanged a look, neither one too sure that they wanted to know who the women were talking about.

"Anyway, we should get going if we're going to solve Haruko's latest love crisis for her," Akiko said, walking off.

"Aki, you always know how to make my problems sound small, don't you?" Haruko asked as she followed.

"Yes. And you've told me before that it helps, so I'm gonna keep doing it."

As the ladies headed for the pier, O'Brien and Jim hung back for a moment, silent.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure those two sheilas are sane," Jim admitted after a moment.

O'Brien nodded and followed the women. Jim hurried to catch up with them, wondering how exactly they planned to get back to the mainland.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the second chapter. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX. Haruko, Akiko, Fuyuko, and Maruyama are mine, though.**

**Flashbacks are in bold.**

* * *

O'Brien called up to the school and told the principal they were borrowing a boat. Didn't ask, just told. As he was doing that, Akiko was getting them ready for launch.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Jim asked.

"Trust me, if the Vipers are after her, Samejima's gonna want us off the island as soon as possible," Akiko said.

O'Brien came over and climbed into the boat, and they were off.

* * *

They landed the boat in Domino and took a train to Nagoya from there. When they arrived, Haruko pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up.

"Relax," Akiko said. "You're with us, so you're safe."

O'Brien nodded.

"Right," Jim said. "We won't let anything happen to you, sheila."

"Thanks, guys," she said. "So, Aki, when do I get to meet your Ice Lord friend?"

"Just as soon as we get to his place," she answered, walking out of the station. "Come on."

* * *

The four made their way through town to a small house in a fairly quiet neighborhood. It was a completely unremarkable place. The paint was white, there was a fence around the house... It looked like just a regular house.

_Huh,_ Haruko thought. _Considering the code name, I was expecting something a little...different. Like, more secret agent-ish. This looks more like my grandma's house, though... _"How is this guy going to help me?" she asked.

"You'll see," Akiko answered, walking up and knocking on the door.

After a moment, the door opened to reveal a tall, slender, well-muscled man. His hair was an icy shade of blue, and his eyes were bright yellow. He was dressed in a tight white T-shirt and mud-stained blue jeans. When he saw Akiko standing there, he looked mildly surprised.

"Akiko, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I need your help again, that's what."

He glanced at Haruko, O'Brien, and Jim and added, "Who are these people?"

Haruko had been starry-eyed ever since he opened the door. Akiko glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, thinking this might have been a bad idea.

"Hi!" Haruko said before Akiko could answer, getting up in the man's face. He backed up, startled. "I'm Haruko Ishiyama, Gemini, age 23. I like long walks on the beach, my favorite color is pink, I love rabbits, and I'm single!"

The man stared at her for a moment, then glanced back at Akiko. "What is this...?"

"My idiot friend, Haruko. And that last bit's only half true. She's 'engaged' to Taigo Maruyama."

The man's expression darkened. "Maruyama, huh? Is that why you're here?"

"You got it."

"I think you had best start from the beginning, Akiko."

"Of course. But first, this is Austin O'Brien and Jim Cook. And his crocodile, Karen."

"Crocodile?" the man asked. He glanced at Jim's back. "Well, I'll be. A live crocodile, huh?"

"Well, she's not stuffed, mate," Jim said.

The man nodded. "I'm Fuyuko Iwagawa. Please, come inside," he said, stepping aside. "And tell me what's going on."

* * *

They filled Fuyuko in on Haruko's situation, starting with Akiko's little rant about the other woman being unable to say no to a strong man. Sometime during the conversation, Haruko moved closer to Fuyuko and started clinging to him, making the man blush furiously.

"So, you see, she's in a bit of a bind," Akiko finished. "Haruko's one of those types who isn't all that great at taking care of herself."

"I see what you mean, but why did you come to me?" Fuyuko asked, nervously bushing Haruko away for the fifth time.

"Oh, don't play dumb, Fuyu," she answered. "I came to you because you're great at gathering information, and that's what we need right now."

"Wait, he does what now?" Haruko asked.

"He's—"

"A reporter," he hastily cut off the blond. "I'm a reporter. So gathering information is easy for me."

Akiko rolled her eyes. "Right. He's a reporter."

O'Brien narrowed his eyes, wondering what this man was trying to hide._  
_

"Regardless of my profession, Akiko, you still haven't told me exactly what I'm supposed to be doing."

She gave a rather nasty grin. "Well, that's the fun part..."

Fuyuko sweat. "Oh, not another mad Tokugawa scheme... Don't I get enough of those from your brother?"

"Brother?" Jim asked.

"I'd say yes, but you're about the only person I know who can possibly pull this 'mad Tokugawa scheme' off, Fuyu," Akiko said, ignoring Jim.

Fuyuko sighed. Haruko sighed contentedly, scooting closer to him and nuzzling against him. His eyes widened and he started sweating.

"Alright, Akiko, what do you want me to do?" he asked urgently.

Akiko smirked. _You came through in a big way, Haruko. Fuyuko just goes to pieces around a pretty girl._

"I don't like that look..." He sweat, pushing Haruko away again.

* * *

_How do I let that woman talk me into these things?_ Fuyuko thought as he headed to the Vipers' hangout. _She's just as bad as that brother of hers, and I still let her get me involved in these sorts of things. What is wrong with me?_

**"****All I need you to do is infiltrate the Vipers," Akiko said simply. "Get inside so we can find out more about them. I mean, they only accept guys."**

"**Why not send one of those two?" he had asked.**

"**Because Jim's too friendly to pass as a gangster, and O'Brien's supposed to protect Haruko. I mean, unless you wanna take over for him."**

**He stood up suddenly. "I'll get right on that."**

While this was preferable to taking care of Haruko, it didn't change the fact that the Tokugawas had a habit of getting him into trouble. _One of these days, I've really got to cut my ties with those two...I must get into more trouble than all of these gangsters combined, thanks to them._

* * *

Akiko sat down at Fuyuko's computer, saying, "Alright, everyone, get out for a bit. The Manjoumes had a job for me, and I intend to complete it before Fuyuko even gets started on his job."

"You really like races, don't you, Aki?" Haruko teased.

"Just leave," she said, tapping away furiously at the keyboard.

* * *

Out in the hallway, O'Brien asked Jim, "What do you think of this Fuyuko?"

"Well, he seems a bit odd to me, but, honestly, so do Spring-girl and Autumn-girl," he answered, using the meanings of the girls' names as he so often did with others.

"Spring-girl, huh?" Haruko said thoughtfully. "Oh, I might just have to start going by that! Thanks, Jimmy!"

Jim looked at her, slightly shocked, then laughed. "Any time, sheila."

"Do you get the feeling there's something he's hiding?"

Jim nodded seriously. "You bet I do, mate. I just hope it's nothing important."

"Fuyu-chan's hiding something?" Haruko asked. She put a finger to her chin, adding, "That would explain a lot."

"What do you mean, Haruko?" O'Brien asked.

"Well, Akiko used to call him a lot back when we went to Duel Academy, too. She called him when the Society of Light showed up, for one thing. And she called him again during third year when you guys went missing. You know, that time right after we had somehow gotten the school out of that creepy desert." She shuddered. "Man, I hated that place."

"Do you have any idea what she was calling him about?"

"Not a one. She walked off whenever she was talking to him. Though I did overhear her saying one time that his favorite monster was running amok. That was during the Society of Light thing. Oh! You guys weren't there for that!" she said, realizing suddenly that they wouldn't know what she was talking about. "Okay, the Society of Light was this weird group that worshiped some light that was, apparently, trying to destroy the world. Aki told me that after Manjoume beat her in a duel and saved her from it. I guess one of the members of the society was using one of Fuyuko's monsters? I don't know."

"What kinds of monsters did the Society of Light use, Haruko?" O'Brien asked. "Or did they just use anything?"

She thought about it for a moment, then said, "Well, there were some who just used their regular decks, but the leaders used White Night cards. And they had this White Veil they used, too. Why?"

"I've never heard of 'White Night' cards."

"That's because only members of the society of light use them."

"Then why would one of them be using something of Fuyuko's?" O'Brien asked, raising an eyebrow.

Haruko shrugged. "I don't know. But, like I said, they weren't all using White Night cards, and the ones who did had different cards, too. Fuyu-chan's card was probably something else."

O'Brien wasn't too sure about that—if Akiko thought it worth mentioning that this monster was being used by evil, then it was likely a rare card. Maybe even one-of-a-kind. In other words, it could be one of those White Night monsters.

_Who is Fuyuko? Can we really trust him?_

* * *

Fuyuko walked into the bar the Vipers frequented. The bartender turned.

"Oh! Mr. Iwagawa!" he said. "This is a surprise! To what do I owe the honor?"

"I'm looking for Maruyama," he answered.

A burly man with a long ponytail turned. He wore a green vest that showed off the various tattoos on his arms. The cigarette in his mouth was creating a halo of smoke around him.

"Ah, Fuyuko," he said. "Long time, no see!" the man said.

Fuyuko walked over and sat down beside the man. "Hello, Maruyama," he said.

The man, Maruyama, smirked. "Geez, Fuyuko, last time I saw you was high school. Still scared of girls?"

"That's completely irrelevant, Maruyama," he answered briskly.

"We've been over this, pal. Call me Taiga."

"Right, well, the last time I chose to call another man by his first name, he dragged me off to Mexico with him on vacation, which ended with him marrying a woman he didn't even know after he accidentally got her pregnant and me almost getting arrested."

Maruyama laughed. "Still hanging out with that maniac, then?"

"You have no idea," Fuyuko muttered. "He keeps trying to talk me into going to Italy with him. I keep ignoring his calls and deleting his texts."

Again the gangster laughed. "Oh, you guys were always a hoot in school. So, what are you after, Fuyuko?"

"Well, I hear you're the leader of the Vipers? I want in."

Maruyama raised his eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Really."

"Well, then, you'll have to prove yourself, bub."

"Anything."

The man smirked. "Alright, then. I've got just the job for you."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alrighty, here's the next chapter! Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX, just my characters, Akiko, Haruko, Fuyuko, and Maruyama.**

* * *

"Well, that was easy," Akiko said, walking into the living room to join the others.

"So I take it that means you finished your job for the Manjoumes?" Jim asked.

"Of course. I'm no amateur, after all."

"So who were you tracking down?" Haruko asked. "Or did they want you to off someone?"

Akiko glared at her. "You know very well that I don't take jobs to 'off' someone, Haruko Ishiyama. Besides, that, how am I going to do that while sitting at a computer in Fuyuko's house!?"

Haruko recoiled, smiling nervously. "Uh, sorry, Akiko. Say, have I ever told you I _love_ your fashion sense?"

The blond rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, regardless, it's none of your business what I was doing for them. Focus on your own problems. Speaking of, has anyone heard from Fuyuko yet?"

"No," O'Brien answered. "But it's only been a couple hours. Give him some time."

* * *

_If I get arrested for this, I'm suing her. No ifs, ands, or buts about it,_ Fuyuko thought. _Mad Tokugawa schemes! I have _got_ to stop listening to those two!_

He thought back to what Maruyama had told him to do to get into the gang.

**"****There's this convenience store a few streets down," Maruyama said. "It's a real easy place to get into—no security, glass door, and no lights close enough to catch ya. Should be a breeze for you, Ice Master."**

**"****So you're telling me to rob a convenience store?" Fuyuko asked, raising an eyebrow.**

**Maruyama had shrugged. "****All the noobs gotta prove themselves. For most, I give 'em something a bit tougher. You, on the other hand... Well, I already know what you're capable of. This is just for show so the others don't think I'm letting ya in for nothing. I mean, we ran together back in high school, right?" There was a nasty glint in his eye as he added that.**

**"Y****ou're not setting me up, are you?"**

**"****Of course not! I know why you had to ditch us—Natsu's little sis Kiki didn't take her mamma's death too good, did she?"**

_I can't believe he actually brought that up!_ Fuyuko thought. _She __never forgave either of us for that..__._

He shook his head to drive that memory away. The last thing he needed right now was to dwell on that. Though, with that in mind, he suddenly felt that he owed it to Akiko to help her out.

_Vicious cycle, it is,_ he thought, pulling on a black hoodie. _I get mixed up in Akiko's stuff, think about calling it quits, then remember why I get mixed up in her stuff..._

**This was going terribly wrong. There wasn't supposed to be anyone here, yet there she was—an 11-year-old girl. A girl that some of them knew—she followed them all over the place, after all. She looked startled. All he could think was that she must have followed them again.**

_**You're not supposed to be here, Kiki! Get out!**_** he thought frantically.**

**Someone raised a gun. The girl shrieked in terror.**

"**No, don't!" someone cried—it might have been him. It might have been the girl's brother. It was hard to tell.**

**A gunshot rang through the building. At the same time, another person came out of nowhere and threw themselves in front of the child. There was blood—so much blood. It splattered all over the ground and the little girl as the other person fell to the ground.**

"**Mommy!" the child cried.**

Fuyuko shook his head to drive the memory away. _Just get on with it, Fuyuko,_ he chided himself. _Don't think about it too much._

He headed for the store, his hood up to hide his hair. Hopefully Maruyama had been telling the truth when he said he wasn't setting him up.

* * *

O'Brien, meanwhile, was doing a little background research on Fuyuko Iwagawa. With the women occupied with trying to get a ribbon around Karen's neck—or stopping the aforementioned event from taking place—it seemed the perfect time to do some digging. A quick trip around the house led him to the bedroom on the second floor. He tried the door.

Locked. Not a problem, though. He picked the lock quickly, then slipped inside, shutting the door behind him.

There were posters on the wall—Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. A stack of video games lay in the corner, thrown around haphazardly. The twin bed was made up neatly, and the green carpet was fairly clean. The curtains were pulled shut, leaving the room in semidarkness.

O'Brien searched through the closet, looking for anything that might reveal some information about Fuyuko. His wardrobe was fairly plain—jeans and T-shirts. Nothing hiding in there.

He searched the drawers of the dresser—nothing.

He searched the nightstand next—and hit the jackpot. A small, leather book.

O'Brien flipped it open to find it was a photo album. The pages were filled up with pictures of Fuyuko as a teenager, along with a boy with orange hair and another with a long, dark ponytail. They were at parties, hanging out at the park, picking on girls...and then, suddenly, there was a change. The boy with the ponytail wasn't in anymore pictures. And it seemed that the carrot-top and Fuyuko hadn't taken any pictures together in awhile, either—they both looked several years older. And Carrot-Top, who had been going wild in most of the previous pictures, seemed a bit more subdued.

Something fell from the album. O'Brien looked to see a Duel Monsters card—it had landed upside down. He bent down to pick it up, then glanced at it.

"This must be the card Akiko called him about," O'Brien said, looking at it. "White Night Dragon, huh?"

The sunlight poked in through the gap between the curtains, lighting up a dark corner of the room. Something caught O'Brien's eye—he glanced over to see a revolver sitting atop a stand, the sunlight reflecting off the metal of its barrel. It looked as if it hadn't been touched in years.

O'Brien moved closer to the gun. There was something else there—a piece of paper? He picked it up, realizing it was a note.

"You're cool, bro. I managed to convince my dad it wasn't your fault. Hope the judge doesn't—"

The rest was missing, ripped clean off as though the reader didn't want anyone else to know the rest.

_Judge?_ he thought. He glanced at the gun. _What did you do, Fuyuko?_

* * *

Fuyuko dropped a bundle of money on the table in front of Maruyama. "Here. You're money."

"Not bad, Fuyuko. Not bad at all. Then again, I knew this wouldn't be a challenge for you."

Fuyuko didn't answer—instead, he asked, "So, am I in?"

"Of course! Man, it'll be just like old times. If only we could get Natsuko to come back, too."

"Don't even try it," Fuyuko said before he could stop himself. "After what happened—"

"I know, I know. Sheesh." Maruyama thumbed through the money. "Well, regardless, at least you're back. We haven't hung out since that day."

Fuyuko shifted. "Yeah, I'd rather not talk about that."

"Hey, I'm the one who went to jail. Not you."

Fuyuko didn't answer—he didn't want to think about that day. That day, when everything changed. Except, apparently, Taiga Maruyama.

Maruyama clapped Fuyuko on the back. "Well, pal, welcome to the Vipers. Or, should I say, welcome back!"

* * *

O'Brien walked into the living room, still holding the fragment of the note. Haruko had failed at getting a ribbon on Karen, but she didn't seem to mind too much—she was trying to talk Akiko into letting her give her a makeover now.

"For the last time, no!" Akiko answered.

"Aw, come on! Please!?"

"No!"

"Akiko," O'Brien interrupted. "I have some questions I'd like to ask."

"Such as?"

"What's this?" he asked, handing her the scrap of paper.

Akiko took it, looking puzzled. She skimmed it and paled. "W-where—?"

"I found it in Fuyuko's room."

"What were you doing in there!?"

"Oh! I can answer that!" Haruko said happily. "See, he's not sure if we can trust Fuyu-chan, so he wanted to get some more information on him."

Akiko stared at her friend for a moment. "Haruko, you are possibly the stupidest person I know."

"So? What is it?" O'Brien asked.

The blond woman looked away. "I think you should ask Fuyuko, not me," she said. "It's something you found in his room, isn't it?"

Before O'Brien could respond, Fuyuko's house phone went off. After a couple rings, the answering machine picked up.

_"__Hey, you've reached Fuyuko Iwagawa. Leave a message. Unless you're Natsuko. In which case, the answer's still no."_

The machine beeped, and a man's voice came on, saying, "Dude! Harsh, bro! Come on, pick up the phone, I know you're there!"

Akiko snatched the phone up. "He's not, but _I_ am," she said coldly.

"Oh! Hey! Aki! Crap, what are you doing at Fuyuko's? Don't tell me you're dating!? Oh, this is huge! I gotta—"

"Do nothing!" she cut him off. "I'm not dating Fuyuko! I came to him for help."

"Just like old times, eh?"

"Yeah, speaking of which, I'd rather not talk to you right now, Natsuko. 'Old times' just got thrown in my face." She hung up without another word.

O'Brien raised an eyebrow. Jim looked at her in concern.

"Something wrong, Aki?" he asked.

She got up. "Excuse me for a bit, would you?" she said stiffly. Without waiting for an answer, she walked out.

Jim looked at O'Brien and said, "Crikey. What was that about? What did you show her, mate?"

This," he said, handing the note to Jim.

Jim read it aloud, "'You're cool, bro. I managed to convince my dad it wasn't your fault. Hope the judge doesn't—'" He looked at O'Brien, "Doesn't what?"

Haruko shifted nervously. "Oh, please don't tell me this is about _that_."

"About what, Spring-girl?" Jim asked.

She looked after her friend worriedly. "It's just... Okay, I know I said I don't pay a lot of attention to what the Vipers do, but there is one thing they did that I still remember. A murder. It happened right down the street from my family's home, so of course I paid attention to that. A few of the boys in the gang were accused of murdering a woman. Her name... Well, it was Tokugawa."

Jim's eye widened. "What?"

"I didn't meet Aki until middle school, but, when I heard her last name, I thought she might be related to that woman. I never dared to ask, though."

"Wait," O'Brien said. "If this note has to do with that, wouldn't that mean Fuyuko was there? Were there any there who weren't the gang members or the victim? Any witnesses?"

"A couple, I think," Haruko answered. She shrugged. "I don't know—I was eleven. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the news then. It was just...there was a murder. Down the street from my house! That's all I paid attention to."

Jim glanced in the direction of his girlfriend. "You two wouldn't mind if I went after her, would you?"

"No, of course not!" Haruko said. "Please, go right ahead!"

Jim nodded and headed out, Karen trailing along behind.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I wanted to get the second chapter of "Halloween Madness" up before posting this, and then I had homework to do. Anyway, enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX. Akiko, Haruko, Fuyuko, and Natsuko are mine.**

* * *

_Well, that's that, _Fuyuko thought, shutting the door behind him. _I'm back in the Vipers._

"Fuyu-chan!" Haruko shrieked, charging him in a hug.

He stumbled backward, blushing, as she crashed into him. "Uh, hi?"

O'Brien joined them in the entrance hall, a look of suspicion on his face.

"Is something wrong, O'Brien?" Fuyuko asked.

His blood ran cold when O'Brien held up a photo album and a small scrap of paper. "What are these, Fuyuko?"

The man just stared for a moment before saying, "You went into my room, didn't you?"

O'Brien didn't answer, which Fuyuko took as a yes. He supposed he should have seen it coming, all things considered. He sighed.

"I suppose you've got some questions, then."

"Who are the people in these photos?" O'Brien asked. "And what does this note mean?"

"Oh! I've got one!" Haruko said, waving her hand like a child in school. "How come there's a gun in your room? Is this related to that thing ten years ago?"

"T-ten years ago?" he asked nervously. "Wait, how do you know there's a gun in my room!?" He glared at O'Brien accusingly.

"We've been discussing this matter at length, trying to figure out the answers," he clarified.

Fuyuko sighed. "Did Akiko leave?"

"Yeah! Right after Natsu called!" Haruko said. "Why?"

"Because that will make explaining this so much easier."

* * *

Jim had been running around this unfamiliar city all afternoon, looking for Akiko. So far, no luck. That is, until Karen growled.

"Huh? What is it, Karen?" he asked.

She growled again and took off for a dilapidated apartment building. Most of the windows were broken and the walls were covered in graffiti. It didn't look like the best place to be visiting, but he had a live crocodile—he headed after her.

The place didn't look any better on the inside. More graffiti, cigarette butts, beer cans...and the sounds of a woman crying?

Jim made his way deeper into the building, heading down a dark hallway. The sound was coming from an apartment at the end. The door was broken, hanging off one hinge. He pushed it aside and headed in.

Sitting on the floor in the front room was Akiko. Her shoulders were shaking as she sobbed.

This was strange, to say the least. Jim had seen Akiko mad, but he'd never thought he'd see her cry. She wasn't really that kind of woman. _What could have her so out of sorts?_

"Aki?"

Her breath hitched. She turned slightly. "J-Jim. Damn it, you followed me?"

Slowly, he walked over, saying, "I was worried. Karen led me in here. Any special reason why you came to a defunct apartment building?"

"N-no."

"Come on, luv. Don't lie to me."

She hesitated, then said, "Better have a seat. This is going to be a looong story."

* * *

Fuyuko guided his nosy guests back into the living room, where Haruko took a seat beside him on the couch. O'Brien leaned against the wall, his arms crossed.

"Alright, here's the thing... I was a member of the Vipers back in the day," Fuyuko confessed.

Haruko's eyes widened, and she scooted away from him slightly. "W-what?"

"I was a stupid kid back then," he added hastily. "I didn't...didn't think about what I was getting into. The leader back then wasn't Maruyama—it was actually my best friend, Natsuko. Natsuko Tokugawa."

"Tokugawa?" O'Brien asked.

Fuyuko nodded. "Akiko's brother. We've been friends since kindergarten. Well, when we hit fifteen, he got this crazy idea to start a gang—and not for the reasons most people would. He just saw a few too many gang movies and thought forming one would be fun. And he wanted me to be his second in command."

* * *

"The idiot didn't even know anything about being in a gang!" Akiko told Jim. "He just thought it would be cool to run around with a gun. I blame our dad—he was in a gang when _he_ was a stupid teenager, and Natsuko has always had the maturity level of a toddler."

"So, what you're saying is, your brother started the gang that's harassing Haru?"

"Oh, he created it, alright. And he also invited his friends to join. Or, should I say, he _forced_ them to join. Fuyuko and Maruyama."

Jim's eye widened. "Maruyama... Taiga Maruyama!?"

"The very same."

* * *

"S-so Maruyama _was _a nice guy once?" Haruko asked, startled.

"He was, yes. Until the whole 'gang' thing went to his head. See, at first, Natsuko only had BB guns in his gang—it was only a pretend thing, anyway. Then Maruyama got the bright idea to get a real gun—and that's when Natsuko decided _we_ had to get real ones. He realized Maruyama was changing, and he didn't want to risk him taking over and getting us involved in any sort of illegal activity. But it was too late for that."

"What do you mean?" O'Brien asked.

Fuyuko sighed. "Maruyama had already started recruiting other members without consulting us—he knew we'd never go for it, after all. He thought that Natsuko was an idiot—rightfully so—and decided that we should quit pretending to be a gang and actually form one. I found out later that he'd also started making our gang infamous around town.

"He didn't let us in on his schemes until this one that involved gang-raping a bunch of drunk girls. Natsuko was all for the girl part, and the drunk bit—well, _he_ wanted to be the drunk one. But the rape was where he drew the line. He told Maruyama to get out of the gang—Maruyama said he didn't need us, anyway, which is when I got suspicious. I covered Natsuko's mouth as he tried to retort again and said that we'd be there. That was the biggest mistake of my life."

"H-how was it a mistake? Couldn't you have kept those girls from getting raped?" Haruko asked nervously.

"Oh, we kept _that_ from happening. But something worse happened instead."

* * *

"I was a stupid kid—always following my idiot brother and his friends around. They did buy me ice cream and candy, though, so that's probably why I kept following.

"When I was eleven and he was sixteen, I heard footsteps out in the hallway one night. Quiet footsteps, like the person was trying not to get caught. I knew it had to be Natsuko, and I wondered what he was doing so late at night. I slipped out of bed and followed him."

* * *

"I met Natsuko at the place Maruyama had indicated—an old apartment building downtown. It had caught on fire a few years ago, so it was abandoned by this point. Nobody used it for anything, so Maruyama had thought it would be the perfect place to take some drunk girls.

"He showed up with a van-load of them. See, with Natsuko's reaction, he didn't want us involved in picking them up because he was worried that Natsu would warn them or stop us. Well, we still had a plan. As it turns out, that plan wasn't necessary.

"Maruyama and a few of the others were just stripping down the first one. Natsuko and I were ready to move. That's when we heard a gasp."

* * *

"I followed Natsuko to this very apartment building, where he met up with Fuyuko. I stood behind a pole some distance away, waiting, wondering what they were doing out here at that time of night. Then a van pulled up, Maruyama in the driver's seat. A bunch of guys I didn't know piled out of the back, dragging along a handful of tipsy girls. I figured they were drunk because their biggest complaint was that there wasn't any booze there. The guys took the girls inside, including Natsuko and Fuyuko.

"I followed quietly, not wanting to get caught. When I got down to this last apartment—this one we're sitting in—I peeked through the doorway and couldn't help the gasp that slipped out. Maruyama and a bunch of the other guys were yanking at one of the girl's clothes. She kept telling them to stop, but they weren't listening. I'd heard about people getting raped before—my neighborhood wasn't exactly the friendliest, if you couldn't tell by the guys my brother hangs out with—but I never thought I'd actually see it."

* * *

"We all turned to see Akiko standing in the doorway, stunned. She didn't know what to make of the scene—she was only eleven at the time. Maruyama had said earlier to leave no witnesses except for the girls—one of his guys tried to act on that before he could stop him."

**A boy with spiky brown hair raised his gun, pointing it at the child. She shrieked in terror, cringing.**

"**No, don't!" the two on the fringes of the group cried at the same time.**

**Maruyama was about to say something, recovering from the initial shock, but it was too late. The boy pulled the trigger, sending a bullet flying straight at the little girl's face—the sister of the actual leader of this out-of-control, "pretend" gang.**

**But it didn't hit her—it hit the woman that came out of nowhere. She threw herself in front of the child, taking the bullet herself. It hit her chest, spraying blood everywhere—splatters landed on the young girl's hair and her light blue pajamas as the woman's body fell to the ground.**

"**Mommy!" Akiko cried.**

"**Mom!" Natsuko shrieked, running over.**

**Little Akiko had dropped to her knees over the woman's body. Natsuko joined her there moments later. Fuyuko just stood there, shocked.**

**The woman's blond hair was flecked with red blood. Purple eyes—so like Natsuko's—lifeless in their sockets. She was dead—he was sure of it. And they might as well have killed her.**

**Akiko was shrieking in absolute horror. That was the only sound that escaped her lips, and there didn't seem to be any end to these cries. Maruyama was yelling at the boy who had pulled the trigger, but his voice was only white noise to Fuyuko.**

_**She's dead, I know it... And it's our fault as surely as if we had been holding that gun.**_

"Their mom had followed them—I guess she was starting to worry about Natsu hanging out with Maruyama, and she was right to worry. We would have gotten into some serious trouble if we'd stuck with him. That was the day Natsuko disbanded the gang—but Maruyama kept it going. Natsuko likes to pretend it's a different gang, that ours was all fun and games, but it's a lie. The gang became real that night that his mother died."

Haruko looked at him sadly. "Fuyu-chan..."

He fidgeted, uncomfortable with that nickname. "That note you found, O'Brien, is from Natsuko. His father was convinced it was my fault his wife was dead, so he was going to press charges for awhile there. Natsuko managed to convince him that it was his fault, and Akiko probably helped quite a bit. That was about the time she started calling her brother an idiot. She changed a great deal after that day, going from the sweet little girl I'd known to the colder woman you've come to know. I've always blamed myself for it, though, even if I wasn't the one that pulled the trigger or started the gang. It was my fault that we were there in the first place."

* * *

"I'll never forgive that idiot for it! If he hadn't decided to start a gang just 'for fun,' then maybe our mother would still be alive!" Akiko finished up, trembling with rage.

"Aki..."

* * *

"Of all the stupid things I've let Natsuko talk me into, that gang idea had to be the worst one. He single-handedly started the most infamous gang in town just because he wanted to try role-playing as gangsters. With the same dumb move, he got his mother killed and scarred his sister for life." Fuyuko shook his head. "In other words, Haruko, I actually owe you—your problems are partially my fault, and not just because an old friend's involved."

Haruko stared, stunned. Fuyuko was hoping that this would turn her off and she wouldn't keep flirting. Well, _half_ hoping, at least.

"So that's it," O'Brien said.

"But, wait!" Haruko protested. "That doesn't explain the other thing!"

"Other thing?" Fuyuko asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Akiko called you during our second year at Duel Academy, saying your card was on a rampage. What card?"

Fuyuko raised an eyebrow. "Are you always so scatterbrained? What does that have to do with the incident we've been discussing?"

"I-I just thought, maybe, they were connected somehow?"

"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but they're not," he said, arms crossed. "White Night Dragon is the card she called me about—it was a gift from my father, who was a card designer for Industrial Illusions before he lost his mind and started preaching about some light of truth. It was stolen from me earlier that year by a man dressed all in white."

"Oh," Haruko said. "So, your dad was in the Society of Light before it even existed?"

Fuyuko raised an eyebrow. "Society of Light?"

"Oh, nothing!" she said hastily. Then she laughed nervously.

Fuyuko decided not to press—he didn't really care, anyway. It wasn't like it was any of his business. "Well, regardless, Haruko, I've managed to infiltrate the Vipers—with the story I just told you, that shouldn't really come as a huge surprise."

"You what, dude!?"

The three jumped, turning to the man standing in the doorway. He had a mop of orange hair atop his head and amethyst eyes, wide with shock. He was wearing ripped blue jeans and a black T-shirt that read "Punk's not dead."

"Natsuko," Fuyuko said, standing up.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I wasn't entirely sure where I was going to go next with this story. But I've figured it out, and so here's the next update! Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

"Dude, are you crazy!?" Natsuko demanded. "What are you thinking, getting mixed up with those guys!?"

"I'm thinking your sister came to me for help, so I'm giving it to her," he answered calmly.

Natsuko held up a hand. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, bro. So, are you telling me that Kiki's mixed up in this?"

"Uh, actually, that would be me," Haruko said, raising her hand.

Natsuko looked at her passed Fuyuko. "Oh, hey, toots. And just what connection do you have to my little sis?"

"She's my best friend."

The man just stared at her for a long while, then he burst out laughing. "You're her friend!? Oh, that's priceless! No, seriously, how do you know her?"

"She's my friend, dipstick," said a cold voice behind him.

Natsuko tensed, looking rather nervous. He turned, a forced smile on his face, and said, "Aki! Hey! When did you get there?"

"About two seconds ago," she answered, walking over with her arms crossed. "When did _you_ get here?"

"Er..." He sweat. "I should just leave, shouldn't I?"

"Scat, you idiot."

"Aw, come on! Are you _ever_ gonna stop hating me?"

"When hell freezes over, sure."

"Cold, Kiki."

She slapped him, knocking him to the ground. "How many times do I have to tell you!? Don't call me that!"

Natsuko sat up, rubbing his cheek. "Ow..."

"Natsuko, maybe you should quit while you're behind," Fuyuko suggested.

"Aw, I'm always behind anymore. And I'm done quitting!" He stood up, saying, "Akiko, you and I were inseparable when we were kids! Why can't we go back to the way things were before?"

"Because you got our mother killed, you bastard!" she answered.

"How many times do I have to tell you!? I didn't know Maruyama was crazy!"

Jim put a hand on Akiko's shoulder. "Aki. Maybe you should forgive him. I mean, it's been twelve years. You can't seriously tell me you plan to be mad at him your whole life."

She didn't answer right away. She just stared at Natsuko, who was eying Jim strangely.

Finally, Akiko sighed. "Fine. I forgive you," she said.

Natsuko's attention snapped to her. "R-really!?" he asked in disbelief.

"Sure. Why not? I mean, it's not like that was the first stupid thing you did, and it _definitely_ wasn't the last."

Natsuko stared at her for a moment, the broke into a huge grin. "That's the spirit, Kiki! At least I haven't gotten anyone else killed!"

She closed her eyes, and Jim could practically see the vein pop out on her head. "Don't call me 'Kiki,' you idiot."

"Yeah, yeah. So, anyway, what's the deal with this guy?" He glanced at Jim, then, looking back at his sister, he added, "And how did your friend here get mixed up with Maruyama?"

"This is Jim," Akiko said, a lame look on her face as she gestured to the man in question. "And Haruko has a habit of doing stupid things, too. If you hadn't gotten drunk and married a waitress at that bar in Mexico and decided to stick with it, I'd tell you to hook up with her. Then again, it might be a good thing you're not available—any kids you two had would be the cause of the Armageddon."

"I resent that," her brother responded. "So what stupid thing did she do. Wait...is she married to Maruyama!?"

"No, but he's trying to _make_ her marry him," Fuyuko responded.

"And I don't want to! He proposed way too soon, then he wouldn't take no for an answer!"

"And that's a rather common dilemma for Haru," Akiko said lamely, gesturing to her friend. "She can't take care of herself, so I really should stop leaving her alone."

Natsuko nodded. "Okay, so where does Fuyuko joining the Vipers come into this?"

"He's gathering information for us," O'Brien answered. "We need to know more about this gang if we're going to help Haruko get out of this mess."

Natsuko stared at him for a long moment before saying, "I should probably ask who that guy is..."

Fuyuko sighed. "O'Brien. He's been hired by Haruko to help her with her problem. Akiko volunteered, and Jim decided to tag along, from what I hear."

"Oh. Okay. Well, O'Brien, if there's anything specific you want to know about Maruyama, Fuyu and I could easily answer those questions."

"Yes, which leads me to wonder why I had to join a gang to learn more about a man I know quite well," Fuyuko admitted, looking at Akiko.

"Because it's been twelve years since you guys actually hung out with him. Things change," Akiko answered.

"Right," O'Brien said. "Regardless of what you once knew about him, that may be different now. Especially since you didn't know that he would take over your 'gang' and make it more dangerous."

Natsuko rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah... Okay, can I help?"

Akiko raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes. I mean, I feel bad about this since, technically, your friend's problems with Maruyama are my fault. I'm the doofus who started that gang, so I feel like I should help clean up my own mess."

Akiko smiled. "About time you admitted that, Natsu."

"Natsuko, how exactly do you plan to help?" O'Brien asked.

"Join the Vipers and keep Fuyuko from getting killed?" He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Natsu, no offense, but you're more likely to get me killed, so I'd rather you _not_ join the Vipers," Fuyuko said lamely. "Find some other way to help."

"Well, can I borrow your work stuff?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Why?" Haruko asked. "Didn't you say you're a reporter?"

Natsuko raised an eyebrow. "Reporter? You mean you haven't told them?"

"Natsuko, it's bad enough you and Akiko know! I just told them one of my secrets! Let's save that one for another day, alright!?" he snapped.

"Whoa, winter's losing its chill!" Natsuko teased. "Giving way to springtime over there?" He hitched a thumb at Haruko.

Fuyuko blushed, startled. "Natsu, you're an idiot."

"Yeah, so you've said. Okay, so if I can't join the Vipers, what _can_ I do to help?"

Akiko smirked. "I think I've got an idea..."

"I don't like that look," Natsuko said, sweating.

"Another mad Tokugawa scheme," Fuyuko said, smirking as well. "And, this time, _you're_ the victim, not me."

"Dude. Not cool."

* * *

Over the next week, Fuyuko spent a great deal of time with the Vipers. Natsuko, on the other hand spent a great deal of time doing nothing until, one day, his sister told him to go tail the Vipers.

"That Akiko... 'You're so great at stalking women, why don't you stalk your old gang?' What does she take me for? I'm not a stalker!"

He shut up and ducked behind a tree as some of the gangsters, including Maruyama and Fuyuko, came out of that nameless bar they always hung out at. _Dude, the owner really has to come up with a name for that shitty place one of these days..._

He shook his head, getting himself back on track. "Focus, Natsu," he muttered to himself. "You're supposed to be spying. I gotta find out about this gang. Not that I don't already know all about Maruyama... But I need evidence of his criminal ways! I guess... Nobody really told me what I'm after."

Realizing that he was letting the gangsters get away from him, Natsuko shut up and started sneaking along, following them down the street. He moved from tree to tree, post to post, even going so far as to hide behind a newspaper at one point, pretending to read it.

_Man, I'm pretty good at this spy stuff,_ he thought. _Maybe I can give Fuyuko a run for his money..._

He peeked over his newspaper, which caused him to drop it altogether. "Wha—where did they go!?"

Where the gang members had previously been, there was nothing. He didn't understand. Had they vanished into thin air?

He got his answer when something pressed against his back.

"Well, Natsuko," Maruyama's voice said. "This is a surprise. Any reason you're following us?"

He sweat. "Uh, I was...er..."

"Natsuko," Fuyuko said, walking forward. "You really should stop following me everywhere. The answer is still no. I'm not joining you for a trip to Italy."

"Aw, come on, dude! Why not?" Natsuko said, latching onto the excuse.

"Because I haven't forgotten our trip to Mexico."

Maruyama smirked. "Well, if that was why you were following us, Tokugawa, you got your answer. Now scram."

"Y-yes, sir!"

Natsuko moved to run off, but a man with long brown hair grabbed him around the neck, snatching the camera from his hands and demanding, "What's this!?"

"Hey! Give that back!" Natsuko said.

Maruyama eyed the camera, then snatched it from his guy. He flipped through the pictures on it, seeing several of him and his buddies getting into what most people would call trouble. With a grimace, he turned to Natsuko and asked, "Well, well. Since when are you such a rat? Trying to get us on something? You know it never would have worked anyway, right?"

"Uh, I..." He looked to Fuyuko for help.

"Well, Natsuko, it seems you've just made your biggest mistake yet," Fuyuko said instead, thus proving to Natsuko that his friend took his job way too seriously.

"Aw, come on!"

"Boys, you know what we do to idiots like him, right?" Maruyama asked.

Someone was cracking his knuckles. Another smirked, pulling a knife from his pocket. They moved toward Natsuko menacingly.

"Hold on," Fuyuko said.

Maruyama looked at him. "What? Don't got the stomach for this, Fuyuko?"

"I've got a better idea, Maruyama. You want to teach him a lesson about messing with you, don't you? You do remember that this is Natsuko Tokugawa we're talking about, correct? It's going to take more than the traditional beating to teach him."

Natsuko was sweating buckets. _What are you doing, Fuyuko!? Are you trying to get me killed!?_

"And what do you suggest?" Maruyama asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Let's take him to our torture chamber," he said darkly.

"W-wait, torture chamber!? You don't need to go that far, guys!"

"Oh, I think we do," Fuyuko said. "After all, I know you."

Maruyama thought about it for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Hmm... You may have a point there, Fuyuko. Alright! We're taking him back to the chamber!"

"M-Maruyama! C-can't we talk about this!?" Natsuko asked. "I mean, you and I were friends once!"

"Yeah. Once."

Natsuko stared at him in horror for a moment before the man who was holding him whacked him hard upside the head, and everything went black.


End file.
